Refrigerator and cold air circulation module for a refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator is disclosed, where the flow of the cold air is selectively controlled to keep the internal temperature and humidity of a produce box relatively constant. The relatively constant internal temperature and humidity of the produce box is advantageous for optimally maintaining the freshness of produce stored within the produce box. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body forming an outer shell of the refrigerator, a cold air generation unit configured to generate a cold air required within the refrigerator main body, a produce storage unit configured to accommodate a produce box, a cold air circulation module configured to supply the cold air to the produce box, and a closing mechanism configured to selectively discharge the cold air existing within the produce box.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0045092, filed on Apr. 12, 2016, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a cold aircirculation module for a refrigerator, more specifically, to arefrigerator and a cold air circulation module for a refrigerator, whichare capable of maintaining relatively constant internal temperatures andhumidity within a produce box.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator is an apparatus for storing food at a low temperature andmay be used to store food in a frozen state or a refrigerated statedepending on the kinds of food to be stored.

The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by a continuous supply ofcold air. The cold air is continuously generated by a heat exchangeprocess using a refrigerant, where a freezing cycle consisting ofcompression, condensation, expansion and evaporation is used to generatecold air. The cold air supplied into the refrigerator is uniformlytransferred to the interior of the refrigerator by convection and isused to store food at a desired temperature within the refrigerator.

The refrigerator includes a main body having a rectangular shape and anopening on a front surface thereof. A refrigerating compartment and afreezing compartment may be provided within the main body. Arefrigerating compartment door and a freezing compartment door may beprovided on the front surface of the main body for selectively closingopen portions of the main body. Drawers, shelves, storage compartmentsand the like may be provided in the internal storage spaces of therefrigerator for storing different kinds of food in an optimal state.

Top-mount-type refrigerators having a freezing compartment positionedabove a refrigeration compartment are a common type of refrigerator. Inrecent years, however, bottom-freeze-type refrigerators having afreezing compartment positioned below a refrigeration compartment havebecome popular due to enhanced user convenience.

For conventional top-mount-type refrigerators, the internal temperatureand humidity of a produce compartment are set to conform with thetemperature and humidity of a refrigeration compartment. However, thetemperature and humidity of the produce compartment may not be set foroptimally maintaining the freshness of produce (e.g., fruits,vegetables, herbs, etc.) stored in the produce compartment for a longperiod of time. As a result, it is difficult to optimally maintain thefreshness of produce using conventional refrigerators. Furthermore, ifthe internal temperature of the produce compartment is changed due tofrequent opening and closing of the refrigerator door, for example, itis very difficult to optimally maintain the freshness of produce storedwithin the produce compartment.

Thus, a demand exists for a method or device capable of maintaining theinternal temperature and humidity of a produce compartment without usingan additional temperature/humidity control device for monitoring theinternal temperature and humidity of a produce compartment.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a refrigerator and a coldair circulation module for a refrigerator, which are capable ofmaintaining relatively constant internal temperatures and humiditywithin a produce box.

According to one embodiment, a refrigerator is disclosed. Therefrigerator includes a refrigerator main body, a cold air generationunit disposed within the refrigerator main body configured to generatecold air, a produce storage unit configured to accommodate a producebox, and a cold air circulation module configured to provide cold air tothe produce box. The cold air circulation module includes a cold airflow path configured to guide the cold air from the cold air generationunit to the produce box, and a closing mechanism configured toselectively discharge the cold air from the produce box.

According to another embodiment, a cold air circulation module for arefrigerator is disclosed. The cold air circulation module includes acold air flow path configured to guide cold air generated by a cold airgeneration unit of a refrigerator to a removable produce box, and aclosing mechanism configured to selectively discharge the cold air fromwithin the produce box, where the closing mechanism comprises adischarge port comprising a plurality of discharge holes disposed on afront side of a produce storage unit, where the produce storage unit isconfigured to accommodate the removable produce box.

According to a third embodiment, a refrigerator is disclosed including arefrigerator main body, a cold air generation unit configured togenerate cold air within the refrigerator main body, a produce storageunit configured to accommodate a produce box, and a cold air circulationmodule configured to supply the cold air to the produce box. The coldair circulation module includes a closing mechanism configured toselectively discharge the cold air from within the produce box, wherethe closing mechanism includes a discharge port having a plurality ofdischarge holes disposed on a front side of the produce storage unit,and a knob slidably mounted to the discharge port, where an amount ofthe cold air discharged through the discharge port is adjustable basedon a position of the knob.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating an exemplary refrigeratoraccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating an exemplary cold aircirculation module for a refrigerator according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating an exemplaryproduce box for a refrigerator according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of an exemplary airflow controlmechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary airflow controlmechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary detection sensors, anexemplary controller and an exemplary display of a refrigeratoraccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The illustrativeembodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claimsare not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, andother changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe subject matter presented here.

One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosurecan be easily determined by those skilled in the art. As those skilledin the art will realize, the described exemplary embodiments may bemodified in various different ways, all without departing from thespirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is not limited to theexemplary embodiments described herein.

It is noted that the drawings are schematic and are not necessarilydimensionally illustrated. Relative sizes and proportions of parts inthe drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in size, and a predeterminedsize is merely exemplary and not limiting. The same reference numeralsdesignate the same structures, elements, or parts illustrated in two ormore drawings in order to exhibit similar characteristics.

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrate idealexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail. As aresult, various modifications of the drawings are expected. Accordingly,the exemplary embodiments are not limited to a specific form of anillustrated region, and for example, may include modifications in formdue to manufacturing choices.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating an exemplary refrigeratoraccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a sidesectional view illustrating an exemplary cold air circulation module fora refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating an exemplaryproduce box for a refrigerator according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of an exemplaryairflow control device. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of anexemplary airflow control device.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a refrigerator 60 according to one embodimentof the present disclosure may include a refrigerator main body 10forming an outer shell of the refrigerator 60, a door (not shown)configured to selectively open and close an internal space of therefrigerator main body 10, a cold air generation unit 30 configured togenerate cold air, a produce storage unit 40 configured to accommodate aproduce box 50, and a cold air circulation module 100 configured tocirculate cold air through the produce box 50.

According to some embodiments, the refrigerator may be a top-mount-typerefrigerator having a freezing compartment 11 positioned above arefrigeration compartment 12. However, the present disclosure is notlimited thereto but may be applied to different types of refrigerators.

The refrigerator main body 10 may be divided into a freezing compartment11 and a refrigeration compartment 12 by a barrier 13. For example, thefreezing compartment 11 may be provided in an upper portion of therefrigerator main body 10, and the refrigeration compartment 12 may beprovided in a lower portion of the refrigerator main body 10. Thefreezing compartment 11 and the refrigeration compartment 12 may beopened and closed using doors (not pictured).

The doors may include a freezing compartment door and a refrigerationcompartment door. The freezing compartment door may shield the freezingcompartment 11 by sealing an upper front edge of the refrigerator mainbody 10. The refrigeration compartment door may shield the refrigerationcompartment 12 by sealing a lower front edge of the refrigerator mainbody 10.

The cold air generation unit 30 generates cold air for cooling thefreezing compartment 11 and the refrigeration compartment 12. For thispurpose, the cold air generation unit 30 may include devices forproducing a freezing cycle to generate cold air. The devices mayinclude, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve andan evaporator, which together are capable of producing a freezing cycle.A heat exchange process using a refrigerant produces a freezing cycle,and the freezing cycle includes the stages of compression, condensation,expansion and evaporation, performed by the compressor, the condenser,the expansion valve and the evaporator, respectively. The air within therefrigerator may be cooled to produce cold air by exchanging heat withthe refrigerant.

The produce storage unit 40 may include a guide shelf 41 installed inthe refrigerator main body 10, for example, at a lower portion of therefrigeration compartment 12, and an accommodation space, where theproduce box 50 can be positioned within the accommodation space whilebeing covered by the guide shelf 41. A sealing member 43 may be providedon a front edge portion of the guide shelf 41 to provide a water-tightseal between the guide shelf and the produce box when the produce box isplaced within the accommodation space.

A space (gap) between a rear portion of the guide shelf 41 and a rearportion of the produce box 50 allows cold air to be introduced into theproduce box 50. For example, cold air generated by the cold airgeneration unit 30 may be provided to the produce box 50 through thespace between the guide shelf 41 and the produce box 50.

A bottom surface of the accommodation space may include a slantedsurface 42 a inclined downward along an insertion direction of theproduce box 50 (e.g., slanted down toward the rear of the refrigerator).A user can easily insert the produce box 50 into the accommodation spaceof the produce storage unit 40 with a relatively small force. Forexample, when a user inserts the produce box 50 into the accommodationspace of the produce storage unit 40, the weight of the produce box 50is added to the force applied by the user. This enables a user toquickly insert the produce box 50 into the accommodation space using arelatively small force.

According to some embodiments, the weight of the produce box 50 may beused to help move the produce box 50 along the slant surface 42 a of theaccommodation space, and after the produce box 50 has been inserted intothe accommodation space of the produce storage unit 40, a water-tightseal is reliably maintained between the produce box 50 and the sealingmember 43 using the weight of the produce box 50.

The cold air circulation module 100 includes a cold air flow path 110and a closing mechanism 120 (e.g., a door or valve). The cold aircirculation module 100 may selectively discharge the cold air existingwithin the produce box 50 using the closing mechanism 120.

In this regard, the cold air flow path 110 may include a main flow path111 configured to guide the cold air generated in the cold airgeneration unit 30 toward the produce storage unit 40, a first auxiliaryflow path 112 configured to guide the cold air supplied from the mainflow path 111 into the produce box 50, and a second auxiliary flow path113 configured to guide the cold air supplied from the main flow path111 along an outer surface of the produce box 50.

The cold air generated in the cold air generation unit 30 is movedtoward the first auxiliary flow path 112 and the second auxiliary flowpath 113 using the main flow path 111. The cold air diverted to thefirst auxiliary flow path 112 may pass through the interior of theproduce box 50 and may return to the cold air generation unit 30. Thecold air diverted to the second auxiliary flow path 113 may move alongan outer surface of the produce box 50 and return to the cold airgeneration unit 30. The cold air diverted to the first auxiliary flowpath 112 may be held in the produce box 50 or released from the producebox 50 using the closing mechanism 120.

The closing mechanism 120 is configured to selectively discharge thecold air from within the produce box 50. The closing mechanism 120 mayinclude a discharge port 121 including a plurality of discharge holes121 a formed at the front side of the produce storage unit 40, and aknob 122 slidably mounted to the discharge port 121 used to adjust theamount of the cold air flowing through the discharge port 121.

When a user wishes to keep the internal temperature and humidity of theproduce box 50 at a specific temperature and humidity (e.g., atemperature of 2.5 degrees C. to 3 degrees C. and a humidity of 87%) formaintaining produce in a fresh state, the user may operate the knob 122to adjust the amount of the cold air discharged through the dischargeport 121. This makes it possible to maintain the internal temperatureand humidity of the produce box 50 at an appropriate level for optimalfreshness.

For example, if it is determined that the internal temperature of theproduce box 50 is lower than the appropriate level, the user may operatethe knob 122 to open the discharge port 121. This allows an increasedamount of cold air to be discharged through the discharge port 121. Ifit is determined that the internal temperature of the produce box 50 ishigher than the appropriate level, the user may operate the knob 122 sothat the discharge port 121 is at least partially closed. This makes itpossible to reduce the amount of the cold air discharged through thedischarge port 121 or to block the cold air completely. In this way, theamount of the cold air discharged through the discharge port 121 may beadjusted based on the internal temperature of the produce box 50 and theinternal humidity of the produce box 50.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary detection sensors, anexemplary controller and an exemplary display device of a refrigerator500 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The refrigerator 500 may include a refrigerator main body, a door, acold air generation unit, a cold air circulation module, detectionsensors 200, controller 300 and a display device 400.

Components not depicted, such as the refrigerator main body 10, thedoor, the cold air generation unit 30 and the cold air circulationmodule 100 of the refrigerator of the present embodiment are the same asthe refrigerator main body 10, the door, the cold air generation unit 30and the cold air circulation module 100 of the exemplary refrigerator ofFIG. 1. Thus, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The detection sensors 200 may include a temperature sensor 210 used tomeasure the internal temperature of the produce box 50 and a humiditysensor 220 used to measure the internal humidity of the produce box 50.The temperature sensor 210 and the humidity sensor 220 measure theinternal temperature and humidity of the produce box 50 and may transmitthe measured temperature and humidity values to the controller 300.

The controller 300 may receive the measured temperature and humidityvalues from the detection sensors 200 and calculate an operation rangeof the closing mechanism 120. Based on the operation range, the closingmechanism 120 is opened, partially opened, or closed, to cause themeasured temperature and humidity values to reach the predeterminedtemperature and humidity values. The controller 300 may provide themeasured temperature and humidity values and the operation rangeinformation of the closing mechanism 120 to the display device 400.

The operation range of the closing mechanism 120 may be adjustedaccording to the movement of the knob 122 along the discharge port 121.A graphical scale or range of values may be displayed to indicate aposition of the knob 122 in relation to the discharge port 121. Thisenables a user to move the knob 122 to a specific range or value (e.g.,on a graphical scale) provided by the controller 300 to adjust theamount of the cold air discharged from the discharge port 121 based onthe range or value selected.

The display device 400 is configured to display information receivedfrom the controller 300 on a display screen. The display device 400 maydisplay, on the display screen, the measured temperature and humidityvalues received from the controller 300 and the operation rangeinformation of the closing mechanism 120.

As described above, according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the flow of cold air may be selectively controlled to keepthe internal temperature and humidity of the produce box relativelyconstant. The relatively constant internal temperature and humidity ofthe produce box is advantageous for optimally maintaining the freshnessof produce stored within the produce box.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are describedabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in theart will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented invarious ways without changing the necessary features or the spirit ofthe present disclosure.

Therefore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodimentsdescribed above are not limiting, but only an example in all respects.The scope of the present disclosure is expressed by claims below, notthe detailed description, and it should be construed that all changesand modifications achieved from the meanings and scope of claims andequivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments ofthe present disclosure have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, and that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Theexemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the presentdisclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the presentdisclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will beconstrued that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belongto the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator mainbody; a cold air generation unit disposed within the refrigerator mainbody and configured to generate cold air; a produce storage unitconfigured to accommodate a produce box; and a cold air circulationmodule configured to provide cold air to the produce box, wherein thecold air circulation module comprises: a cold air flow path configuredto guide cold air from the cold air generation unit to the produce box;and a closing mechanism configured to selectively discharge cold airfrom the produce box.
 2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein theclosing mechanism comprises: a discharge port comprising a plurality ofdischarge holes disposed on a front side of the produce storage unit;and a knob slidably mounted to the discharge port and configured toadjust an amount of cold air discharged through the discharge port basedon the position of the knob.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein thecold air flow path comprises: a main flow path configured to guide thecold air generated by the cold air generation unit toward the producebox; a first auxiliary flow path connected to the main flow path toprovide cold air to the produce box, wherein the closing mechanism isconfigured to selectively discharge the cold air flowing along the firstauxiliary flow path; and a second auxiliary flow path connected to themain flow path to move cold air along an outer surface of the producebox.
 4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the produce storage unitcomprises: a guide shelf disposed within the refrigerator main body; anaccommodation space comprising a slanted bottom surface inclineddownward along an insertion direction of the produce box, wherein anupper portion of the accommodation space is closed by the guide shelf;and a sealing member disposed at a front side of the guide shelf toprovide a water-tight seal between the guide shelf and the produce boxwhen the produce box is placed within the accommodation space.
 5. Therefrigerator of claim 4, wherein the slanted bottom surface of theaccommodation space reduces an amount of force required to move theproduce box into the accommodation space.
 6. The refrigerator of claim1, wherein the cold air circulation module further comprises: detectionsensors configured to measure an internal temperature and an internalhumidity of the produce box; and a controller configured to calculate anoperation range of the closing mechanism at which the internaltemperature and the internal humidity measured by the detection sensorsreach a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity using theclosing mechanism.
 7. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising adisplay device configured to display the operation range of the closingmechanism.
 8. A refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerator main body; acold air generation unit configured to generate cold air within therefrigerator main body; a produce storage unit configured to accommodatea produce box; and a cold air circulation module configured to supplycold air to the produce box, wherein the cold air circulation modulecomprises: a closing mechanism configured to selectively discharge coldair from the produce box, wherein the closing mechanism comprises adischarge port comprising: a plurality of discharge holes disposed on afront side of the produce storage unit; and a knob slidably mounted tothe discharge port, wherein an amount of cold air discharged through thedischarge port is adjustable by changing a position of the knob.
 9. Therefrigerator of claim 8, wherein the cold air circulation module furthercomprises detection sensors configured to measure an internaltemperature and an internal humidity of the produce box.
 10. Therefrigerator of claim 9, wherein the detection sensors comprise atemperature sensor and a humidity sensor.
 11. The refrigerator of claim9, wherein the cold air circulation module further comprises acontroller configured to calculate an operation range of the closingmechanism at which the internal temperature and the internal humiditymeasured by the detection sensors reach a predetermined temperature anda predetermined humidity using the closing mechanism.
 12. Therefrigerator of claim 11, wherein the cold air circulation modulefurther comprises a display device configured to display the operationrange of the closing mechanism.
 13. A cold air circulation module for arefrigerator, the circulation module comprising: a cold air flow pathwayconfigured to guide cold air generated by a cold air generation unit ofa refrigerator to a removable produce box; and a closing mechanismconfigured to selectively discharge cold air from the produce box,wherein the closing mechanism comprises a discharge port comprising aplurality of discharge holes disposed on a front side of a producestorage unit, wherein the produce storage unit is configured toaccommodate the removable produce box.
 14. The cold air circulationmodule of claim 13, wherein the closing mechanism further comprises aknob slidably mounted to the discharge port and configured to adjust anamount of cold air discharged through the discharge port.
 15. The coldair circulation module of claim 13, wherein the cold air flow pathwaycomprises: a main flow path configured to guide cold air generated bythe cold air generation unit toward the produce box; a first auxiliaryflow path connected to the main flow path to provide cold air to theproduce box, wherein the closing mechanism is configured to selectivelydischarge the cold air flowing along the first auxiliary flow path; anda second auxiliary flow path connected to the main flow path to movecold air along an outer surface of the produce box.
 16. The cold aircirculation module of claim 13, further comprising detection sensorsconfigured to measure an internal temperature and an internal humidityof the produce box.
 17. The cold air circulation module of claim 16,wherein the detection sensors comprise a temperature sensor and ahumidity sensor.
 18. The cold air circulation module of claim 17,further comprising a controller configured to calculate an operationrange of the closing mechanism at which the internal temperature and theinternal humidity measured by the detection sensors reach apredetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity using the closingmechanism.
 19. The cold air circulation module of claim 18, furthercomprising a display device configured to display the operation range ofthe closing mechanism.